Memoirs of a Master
by DarkLink227
Summary: A small preview for my second installment of Knights of the Realm. Takes you through the viewpoints of a few main characters and sets the plot for the new events unfolding in Hyrule. Set 2000 years after Knights of the Realm: Book 1


The Memoirs of a Master

The Master

Coming from the western seas, a new wind blows through the fields of the land. I cannot recall any time in my life when I have felt as at peace as I do now. I lift my blade and continue practicing the dueling form I had learned from my master almost eighty years ago. "To master the way of power," he would always tell me, "one must master themselves through the very sword they weild." Power, you see, comes in many forms. For me, the title of Honorary Knight of the Order of Din merely represents what I have mastered through words. But words cannot truly express how deep the power of the Triforce runs through me. Its power is invigorating, and often I am tempted to indulge in it even deeper, wondering how much power I could possibly yield. "Let your aggression and anger become a weapon of good," my master would say, "and when that happens, you will be unstoppable, and all around you will see what true power is." I channel my aggression into my form, moving quickly, thrusting and slicing elegantly…as if I were dancing rather than fighting. That in itself is a power I suppose, mastering a form to such a degree that your sword seems to be a dance partner rather than a weapon. Discipline, dedication, and emotion…the way of elegance, the way of the sword, the way of the Order of Din. The Order of Din…my life, my dedication, my everything. What a tragedy it was to see our Hylian brothers killing all of us off, believing us to be nothing but traitors to the land. I know it was the doing of that abomination from the desert who calls himself a king. That man…the scourge of Hyrule indeed. Oh all the long years of my life seem to have just flown by…the memory of my youth, the memory of all my students, my desire to bring peace to this land once and for all. I have lived a life of a warrior, a noble, a philosopher, but most importantly…as a father to one who had not one of his own. My only regret in life is that I outlived so many, who deserved life much more than this old man. My mistakes of the past…my greatest student, my greatest failure…my son….Nikalai.

The Fallen Hero

Hatred. A word I had learned so well that day in the Death Mountain crater. Before this word, I had known many things. My master once taught me that aggression and anger were normal emotions for people, and especially for a warrior of Din. He always said to channel it, let it become a weapon of good, to serve those around you who are in need of your power. It always worked…it always worked too well. But when something happens that you don't expect, how else could you react instead of the natural way? You see, King Harkinian and I…well, at least the former King Harkinian, were inseparable as youngsters. We shared everything…absolutely everything. Talent, charm, dedication, loyalty, power…even the love of a woman. But unlike so many things we had shared before, this time things were different. He was destined to become King…and she was to become his Queen. My love for her was strong, as was hers for me. Our love was unmistakable, unyielding, and finally, on that fateful day…unforgiving. The king from the desert offered me power and a chance to restore the order, after the War of the Orders…there was only one warrior of Din left alive….me. I was only seventeen at the time, and the only thing I ever thought of after the war was revenge. I knew that the other two orders, Nayru and Farore, had been ordered to wipe out the warriors of Din. We had become too strong in their eyes…and we were seen no longer as faithful servants to the kingdom, but as a future threat that must be dealt with. The king of the desert allowed me to slay my once best friend in the name of justice, for taking away the only life I had ever known, and for stealing the love of the woman who belonged to me, my beautiful Laurena. She pleaded with me to stop, but I saw no other way. She only wanted my love, she only wanted to live a normal life with me, and to raise a family in the country…like we had always talked about on our many midnight rendezvous. I wanted to believe her, I wanted to go with her…but power and anger had clouded my judgment...Lord Ganondorf claimed she wanted me to stop so that the order would never again be resurrected, that the sins of her knights would go forever unpunished. I knew he was lying, but in a fit of rage, I could not see clearly. I killed her, my most precious Laurena…I killed her out of rage, my hatred killed her…my hatred for the knights of the realm who destroyed my life. After that, I saw no other way but to follow this evil man's orders. As I carried my Laurena to bury her…Ganondorf Dragmire proclaimed himself king, and issued the order to the Hylian military to immediately hunt down all Knights of the Kingdom of Hyrule. Everything was so dark, and I could not see clearly. My master had gone, my beloved order destroyed, my love slain by my own hand. The darkness had emerged at last, and for the second time in my life…

…I was alone.

The Hero's Disciple

My most horrific memory came when I was ten. I had found my master within the Death Mountain crater…burned and almost completely unrecognizable. I knew it was him, I could still hear his screams…he screamed words of hatred towards his friend, that Farore warrior Maiku. He was gone, both him and his apprentice, my best friend Link, were long gone. All that was left was my master, and the man that he obeyed. I never liked Ganondorf, he was always power hungry, always deceitful, and always treated my master as a commodity rather than a loyal servant. It was always my masters dream to restore the Order of Din to its former glory, with our warriors at the frontlines of every battle, fighting furiously for the kingdom they loved, for the power they craved, and for the very survival of the Hylian people. But I guess Ganondorf's idea of the orders restoration was just the two of us. One master, one student, only two to fight for the sake of thousands, how ironic. We were once the most numerous of the three orders, and now we were almost extinct. My master never would realize his dream, he was a shell, a shell filled with nothing but hatred. His burns were so severe all he could ever wear was his black robes, that and his porcelain mask which represented a Din ceremonial mask. He made it himself, and its quite funny if you ask me. To think that a man so dark and so full of hate had such a talent for sculpting, I would have never imagined it. Something his mother taught him I suppose…but it matters not, she is dead and so is everyone else he ever loved. It pains me to see him this way, he has always been hard on me to be better than him, to fight faster and more aggressively than he ever did. My master was an accomplished warrior, fighting on the ground, in the air, and under the sea. So many battles had been won by his sword alone that many thought him to be invincible. If only they could see him now. His throat was burned as well, and in that small spurt of intense hatred, he developed a telepathic ability. It was always amazing to hear his voice through telepathy, it sounded so noble and so godly that if I didn't know him better I would mistake him for a god myself. His life, as with mine, are both tied together by one inseparable bond…revenge. He wants revenge on the people who he thinks took everything he ever loved away from him…but I want revenge on the one man who I know took everything he ever loved and used it against him. Someday, Ganondorf Dragmire will pay, he will know what true suffering is…and on that day, my master, as well as all of Hyrule, will be forever free.

I just worry what my master will do, once he realizes he no longer needs to fight….

The Dark One

Damn that man, Master Kamoura. What a ridiculously sick hold his teachings have over my servant. He still holds true to his code of honor, to protect those who cannot protect themselves. There is no place in the world for such weak scum! If I know anything, I know that only the strong will survive in this world, and that the weak people he and his student fight for are nothing but a hindrance to developing the truly superior beings of this land! The Hylian Knights were definitely no match for the modern military they created to help them battle the Din Warriors. Once they served their purpose, I had them wipe out the knights. Their days of squabbling over the land for which they serve are over! My new empire doesn't need them, it needs only the strong, true warriors to fight for its glory!

My servant is the absolute culmination of my desires. He is strong, filled with hatred, and has absolutely no attachment to weak emotions. That bond ended when he killed that wretched woman and left to bury her, and whatever was left of his humanity. A warrior with emotions such as love cannot be all powerful, love will weaken him and bring him into a sense of belonging and importance. Warriors need only to fight battles and bring glory to their empire, not themselves. His status before the war was almost legendary, and he was only a teenager. However, I remember the day we found him in the Death Mountain Crater, burned and dying. His powers were greatly diminished, and now he is below me in strength. I was asked why I didn't heal him completely, and my answer was simply because I intend to keep him this way. His misfortune was brought upon himself, not by me, therefore he shall suffer the consequences of his failure to defeat a weak warrior like Maiku. Such weakness cannot be tolerated, however, despite his failure, I will leave it in his care to train the next generation of warriors. His young apprentice Josev seems incredibly promising…but extremely rebellious. I must watch him, he poses a very serious threat. He wishes too deeply to gain a deeper knowledge of the powers of the Triforce, and no warrior should be stronger than the man they serve.

And finally, there is Master Maiku's young apprentice. Link will return soon, I can feel it, and when that day comes, we will see who the true ruler of this land, and the Triforce, is meant to be.


End file.
